Forging apparatus

ABSTRACT

Machines have been developed which have a forging station to which cast pieces are conveyed and supported during the forging operation by a movable support means having projecting arms with the cast pieces carried therebetween and supported thereby through the medium of runners cast integrally with the workpiece, the runners including portions received within recesses in the arms. The disclosure concerns means for preventing the bending and distortion of the arms by the extrusion of the metal of the runners during the forging operation.

0 United States Patent 1 1 3,576,123

[72] Inventor Ralph E. Davis [56] References Cited Wyomissing, Pa. UNITED STATES PATENTS [211 P 808,102 2,049,915 8/1936 Lewis 72/419x [221 PM Mall-181 1969 2,390,600 12/1945 MacPheat 72/419 [45] Patented Apr. 27, 1971 [73] Assignee North American Rockwell Corporation f Emml'ferchafles Limham Pittsburgh p Assistant Examiner-R. M. Rogers Attorneys-John R. Bronaugh, Floyd S. Levison and E. Dennis O'Connor ABSTRACT: Machines have been developed which have a forging station to which cast pieces are conveyed and [54] supported during the forging operation by a movable support anus "wing means having projecting arms with the cast pieces carried [52] US. Cl. 72/419, therebetween and supported thereby through the medium of 29/38, 198/210 runners cast integrally with the workpiece, the runners [51] Int. Cl B2 ld 43/00, including portions received within recesses in the arms. The 823p 23/00, B65g 29/00 disclosure concerns means for preventing the bending and [50] Field of Search 72/419, distortion of the arms by the extrusion of the metal of the runners during the forging operation.

roaomo srrxnnrus BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Recently machines have been developed for forming forged parts from metals such as brass, aluminum or ferrous metals in which the casting and forging operations are performed as steps of a continuous process. More specifically such prior machines, which are disclosed in the copending applications of George Harrison et al., Ser. No. 584,695, filed Oct. 6, 1966 and of Vincent A. lannucci Ser. No. 724,367, filed Apr. 26, 1968, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,503,441, assigned to the assignee of the instant application, include a rotatable turntable adapted to carry the workpiece from a casting station to forging, trimming and scrap ejection stations. The turntable has a series of pairs of workpiece supporting and transporting arms or fingers projecting from a central hub portion of the opposed faces of each pair having recesses therein. At the casting station the metal is poured into a main cavity portion of mold or casting die and permitted to flow therefrom through runner cavities into the recesses formed in the arms. After the completion of the casting operation the casting mold and the arms are relatively moved to separate the workpiece from the mold the cast workpiece thereafter being supported from the arms by the runners through their extensions into the recesses of the arms.

During the forging operation the workpiece supporting arms remain in their supporting position and the runners leading thereto are in part subjected to the forging pressure and flattened. It has been found that the extrusion of the metal of the runners during the flattening of portions thereof in the forging operation tend to force the arms outwardly resulting, particularly after repeated forging operations, in the arms being bent and distorted to such extent that they are no longer operable to perform their intended functions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The instant invention has for its principal object the provision of means at the forging station of a machine of the type described above to embrace the workpiece supporting arms during the forging operation and prevent their bending or distortion. More particularly such means in accordance with the instant invention comprises flange members extending upwardly from the bolster which supports the lower forging die the flange members being positioned to lie closely adjacent the outer sidewalls of the supporting and transfer arms when the arms have positioned the workpiece for the forging operation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a top plan view of a portion of a casting and forging machine, in which the instant invention is embodied, with parts broken away for clearness of illustration;

FIG. 2 is an clevational view of the machine portion of FIG. I looking in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a detail sectional view on an enlarged scale taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1 showing the parts in preparation for the forging operation; and

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 but showing the parts in their positions at the completion of the forging operation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings a machine embodying the instant invention is suitably of the construction disclosed in said prior application of Vincent A. lannucci Ser. No. 724,367 and includes a rotatably turntable having a series of pairs of workpiece supporting arms I2. In the construction illustrated in said prior application, and which is shown only in part in the instant application, eight pairs of the arms 12 are employed each pair being adapted to be positioned successively at each of four operating stations, namely a casting station, a forging station, a trim station, and a scrap ejecting station and at intermediate rest positions therebetween. The turntable 10 is mounted for vertical movement between a lower working position and an upper indexing position. The arms of each pair (see FIG. 2) are provided with recesses preferably in the form of dovetailed slots l t in their facing walls.

In the operation of the apparatus as disclosed in said prior application and with the turntable in its lowered or working position the operator pours molten metal such as brass, aluminum or a ferrous metal, depending upon the product being produced, into a casting mold I5 (partially shown herein) at the casting station the metal flowing into the main mold cavity and then into runner cavities and finally into the recesses or slots 14 of the arms 12 to 'fill the main cavity and form the supporting runners. After a time interval sufficient to permit the metal in the casting die or mold to solidify sufficiently to be self-sustaining the operator through suitable control means causes the elevation of the turntable to its indexing position. The turntable is then indexed or rotated to shift the pair of arms supporting the newly cast workpiece to an intermediate position and the pair of arms, which had been supporting a cast workpiece at said intermediate position, to the forging station and to similarly shift the other pairs of arms to the next station or to an intermediate position as the case may be.

Referring particularly to FIG. 1 where the cast workpiece is best illustrated it will be noted that it comprises a main body portion 16, which is to be forged into the shape of the final piece an integral support runners 18 the runners including portions 22 lying within slots M. When the turntable is lowered to its working position, and with the lower forging die 24 also in its working position, the casting is in contact with the lower forging die with the runners in part resting on the high rim or marginal portion 26 surrounding the forging cavity of the die and in part overlying recesses 28 in the rim portion which are adapted to receive the major portions of the runners during the forging operations (see particularly FIG. 3).

During the forging operation the upper forging die 30, which similarly includes a rim or marginal portion 32 surrounding the forging cavity and recesses 34 in the rim portion to receive the runners, is lowered to bring the rim portion 32 into contact with the runners. The lowering of the upper die is then continued to perform the forging action, the main body of the workpiece being deformed into correspondence with the forging cavities in the upper and lower dies and the portions of the runners between rims 26 and 32 being reduced to relatively thin strips. As the forging dies move into their final positions (see FIG. 4) the displacement or extrusion of the metal of the runners by the action of the rims 26 and 32 tends to force the runner portions lying within recesses 28 and 34 outwardly and in the direction of the support arms 12 the force being such, particularly when applied a number of times in successive forging operations to, in the absence of the means of the instant invention, bend or distort the arms to such an extent that they are no longer operable to perform their intended functions and in some instances to shear them from the hub portion of the turntable.

In accordance with the instant invention the above noted damage to arms 12 is prevented by the provision of rigid flange members 36 suitably secured, as by studs or bolts 40 to bolster 38, which forms the support for the lower die 24. The flange members 36 suitably have upper recessed edges 42 the vertical walls of which are positioned to lie opposite the arms 12 and in closely adjacent relationship thereto when workpiece and lower die are in their forging positions. The flange members are of such strength as to be able to withstand the forces to which the arms are subjected and hence prevent any substantial distortion or bending of them during the forging operation. Following the forging operation and upon the withdrawal of the upper forging die 30 it has been found that there is sufficient withdrawal of the metal of the runners that the arms are moved slightly away from the flanges permitting the arms and the workpiece supported thereby to be readily lifted to the indexing position of the turntable.

Having thus described the invention in rather complete detail it will be understood that these details need not be strictly adhered to, and that various changes and modifications may be made all falling within the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

lclaim:

1. In a machine for producing forgings, a forging station, means at said forging station for forging cast metal workpieces, means for transporting cast workpieces to said forging station and supporting them during a forging operation, said last named means comprising a pair of arms having means for receiving portions of the cast metal which portions are connected by runners to the cast workpiece, the improvement comprising means at said forging station for maintaining the arms of said transporting and supporting means against substantial bending and distortion under the force created by the extrusion of said runners during the forging of said workpiece. v

2. In a machine as defined in claim 1 wherein said forging station includes a lower forging die and a bolster therefor and said means for maintaining the arms of said workpiece transporting and supporting means against bending and distortion comprises flange elements extending upwardly from said bolster and positioned to lie opposite and adjacent to the outer walls of said anns when said supporting and transporting means is positioned to support the workpiece for the forging operation. 

1. In a machine for producing forgings, a forging station, means at said forging station for forging cast metal workpieces, means for transporting cast workpieces to said forging station and supporting them during a forging operation, said last named means comprising a pair of arms having means for receiving portions of the cast metal which portions are connected by runners to the cast workpiece, the improvement comprising means at said forging station for maintaining the arms of said transporting and supporting means against substantial bending and distortion under the force created by the extrusion of said runners during the forging of said workpiece.
 2. In a machine as defined in claim 1 wherein said forging station includes a lower forging die and a bolster therefor and said means for maintaining the arms of said workpiece transporting and supporting means against bending and distortion comprises flange elements extending upwardly from said bolster and positioned to lie opposite and adjacent to the outer walls of said arms when said supporting and transporting means is positioned to support the workpiece for the forging operation. 